Preface
A good bipod is right behind a good scope when it comes to rifle accessories. At least in my opinion. A solid shooting position is fundamental to proper shooting, bipods make building a solid position much easier.
With the precision rifle craze at it peak, there are many great options for shooters when it comes to bipods. Today I am bringing you another one of those options, the MDT GRND Bipod. I assume they just pulled out the vowels, and that it means ground bipod.
I’ve had the good fortune to try a multitude of different bipods, so I was excited to try out this one today and see how it stood up to the competition. And it IS a ferocious competition.
With so many great options it’s hard to put a crown on just one. Though in this price range and size, the obvious unit to beat is the Atlas or CAL-Atlas bipod. Let’s get into this and see how the MDT does in this match of stance.
Two Feet
The MDT GRND Bipod uses the same two-legged design that separates us from the animals. Like most bipods, it has some very basic features. Two legs that can fold up for transport, and can also be extended from 4.5 to 9-inches to raise the shooting height of your rifle. While this bipod can cant from right to left, it doesn’t have any built-in movement for panning left to right.
At its heart the MDT appears to be all aluminum, but the lower portion of the legs are made from carbon fiber. There are polymer buttons to unlock the legs for extension, as well as for folding up the legs. Folding the legs can be done either forwards or rearwards, one direction has two folded settings at 90 and 50 degrees. The other only has a lock setting at the 90 degree angle. You can reverse this feature by simply removing from the rifle and reinstalling the opposite way.
My bipod is configured with an ARCA clamp at the top. This design has become more and more popular lately, both for the convenience and speed of movement. The ARCA clamp can be slid up and down the ARCA rail on your rifle, and uses a thumb-screw to tighten down.
Additionally, the bipod uses a friction locking clutch to solidify the leveling feature. You can level the rifle and tighten down the lock, to keep your rifle solid. Or you can leave it slightly loose to retain your ability to rock the rifle.
Other Configurations
In addition to the features mentioned already, there are some additional accessories that can be added. And other mounting configurations available.
In addition to the ARCA rail mount, the GRND bipod can be had with a picatinny rail mount, an A.R.M.S #17 mount, as well as the very common M-Lok. With one or another of these options, there is surely a way to attach this bipod to all of your rifles.
The rubber feet that come with the GRND bipod can be swapped out for the very popular options from B&T Industries Atlas bipod feet. Which is very handy.
In addition to the Atlas bipod feet, the MDT Ckye bipod feet also fit the MDT GRND bipod. But it was incredibly hard to find any of those feet unless they were in a Ckye bipod.
Shooting with the GRND Bipod
I slapped the GRND bipod onto a couple rifles, to see how it fit and how I liked the function. First up I mounted it to a custom built 25 creedmoor in a KRG Bravo chassis with an Area 419 ARCA rail attached.
This was an excellent combination, as the ARCA mount of the bipod allowed me to quickly move the bipod to wherever I needed it under the rifle. The only thing I could have wished for was a little better clamping device. The thumbscrew seems to take a bit of extra effort to get it locked up as good as I’d like.
Maneuvering the rifle through various shooting positions was greatly enhanced by the ability to fold and adjust the bipod in different locations. Including just getting it out of the way when shooting from other support.
I also ran the bipod on an AR for a few days of shooting. The light weight of the MDT was a nice feature on a rifle I had overburdened with scope.
More Guns
For the last month or two the bipod has been attached to my main precision gun, my Desert Tech SRS M2. I took my Atlas bipod off the rifle to try this one instead, and across a couple different calibers it has been a very nice addition.
The GRND bipod has basically the same controls, but it seems much easier to operate single-handedly. I’m not saying it’s hard to extend Atlas legs, but you know the awkward little motion you have to execute to extend or collapse the legs? None of that is needed with this bipod, its as simple as grabbing and setting the height.
Reversing the bipod on the ARCA rail gave you the option to have the 50 degree lock setting to the front or back.
My Thoughts
After shooting with this bipod for a couple months I feel like it does just about everything my Atlas does. And for two hundred dollars I sure hope it would. Which makes me wonder, other bipods have stainless steel fasteners and locking mechanisms. And are made mostly from aluminum.
I suppose if you have more faith in traditional construction that might be the way you lean. Whereas if you like the composite materials, the MDT is a great way to go. It certainly isn’t the lightest bipod, but you may find it to your liking over others. While I like this bipod, and have nothing against it, I don’t see my Atlas bipods going anywhere.
-CBM
